Editor’s note: Jacob Boss is vice president of Global Engagement with the International Mission Board.
I still remember placing my gift on my church’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering tree as a child. At the time, I didn’t understand the scope of global missions or the cooperative effort behind it. I only knew that Southern Baptists were giving so missionaries could be sent and more people could hear the Gospel. Years later, after serving and leading in multiple locations, I now see what that faithfulness has produced — and I am more convinced than ever that the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has been one of the most significant Gospel-advancing forces of the past 25 years.
Because Southern Baptists have given consistently and sacrificially, we have been able to send and sustain missionaries to some of the most difficult and least-reached places on earth. This long-term faithfulness has allowed our missionaries to do more than simply arrive. They have learned languages, built trust, endured hardship and stayed long enough to see the Gospel take root. Over time, that patient obedience has led to transformed lives, planted churches and a lasting Gospel witness where none previously existed.
What is especially encouraging is that this missionary sending has produced enduring fruit. In many regions where Southern Baptist missionaries once labored alone, there are now healthy Baptist churches and local leaders who stand alongside us in the mission. Even more, many of these partners are now sending missionaries of their own. This is not a shift away from Southern Baptist missionary sending; it is the fruit of it. The global Church is growing and partnering with us precisely because Southern Baptists remained faithful in sending missionaries year after year through their generous support of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
I have seen the importance of this long-term investment most clearly during moments of crisis. When war broke out between Ukraine and Russia, Baptists’ mission work did not simply begin in the chaos of conflict. Years of LMCO-supported missionary presence had already established relationships, trained leaders and grounded churches in both countries. As a result, missionaries and local partners were able to respond immediately — providing essential aid, sharing the hope of the Gospel amid trauma and even seeing new churches formed during a season of great suffering. That kind of ministry is only possible when faithful giving has already sent workers and sustained them over time.
In my current role providing strategic leadership for missionaries around the world, I see daily how the consistency of Lottie Moon giving makes this global effort possible. LMCO allows us to send new missionaries, sustain those already serving, and remain focused on the most urgent Gospel needs of our world. The work builds from presence to intentional pursuit — toward established, healthy churches that are now partnering with us to reach others who still have little or no access to the Gospel.
One example of this forward momentum is Project 3000. Through faithful giving, we are mobilizing a new generation of 20- to 30-year-olds to research, identify and begin engaging the remaining unengaged, unreached people groups around the world. This effort strengthens future missionary sending by providing clarity, focus, and preparation for teams who will follow.
Every Southern Baptist has a role in this work. Regardless of the size of the gift, each contribution through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering directly supports the sending and sustaining of missionaries. Together, we are able to maintain presence among unreached peoples, respond in times of crisis, and pursue long-term Gospel impact with faithfulness and endurance.
As we look toward 2026, I am filled with confidence, hope and urgency. Confidence because the cooperative model of missionary sending works for sending and sustaining. Hope because God is raising up partners from around the world who are joining us in this task. And urgency because the question of Romans 10 still presses upon us: “How will they hear without someone preaching to them?”
They will hear because Southern Baptists continue to give. They will hear because missionaries are still being sent. And they will hear because decades of faithful obedience have produced a growing global Church — ready to partner with us until every nation, tribe, tongue, and people is engaged with the Gospel.
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The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union. Learn more at LottieMoon.com.
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Images:
Jacob Boss 2025 headshot
Jacob Boss 2025 – horizontal cutline
Jacob Boss, IMB vice president of global engagement, shares during the 2025 Southern Baptist Annual Meeting how the recent Paris Olympics became an unprecedented opportunity to reach the nations — through on-the-ground evangelism, international partnerships, and a robust digital engagement strategy. Southern Baptists’ gifts through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering undergird gospel advance. IMB Photo
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